The Toy Box

Awesome Con 2024 - Part 3: Jim Salicrup

Jim Salicrup was a late entry to Awesome Con 2024, but one that was going to set me back quite a bit.

Jim Salicrup signing my mountain of books

Mr. Salicrup was great to meet. He shared so many stories as he signed books, and drew pictures for folks, and overall was amazing. He was pleasant, kind, and seemed genuinely happy to be there. He shared stories about his time working with Todd McFarlane, regaling the tale of how it came to be that Todd would number the hidden spiders on his issues, as well as his time working on the various titles he was involved with.

Also signed by Jim Shooter, and
Rick Leonardi at Big Lick Nova 2023

He was thrilled to see this copy of Transformers issue three, and went into detail on the various Easter eggs he included in it. He showed me the little hidden picture of U.S. 1 tucked behind in one of the panels.

US 1 heads across an overpass in Transformers 3

He also showed the panel of Nick Fury, and talked about how he couldn't refer to Godzilla by name, but that was indeed what the character was talking about. Apparently, Nick Fury had made appearances in prior stories, which showcased him and S.H.I.E.L.D. battling it out with the creature. However, for copyright reasons, the name could not be used in the Transformers issue.

Speaking of copyright issues, Jim also wasn't able to use the traditional blue and red Spider-Man costume in the issue. Hasbro owned the rights to Transformers, and at the time of release, Mattel featured figures from Secret Wars, which hadn't yet revealed the black suit version, only the traditional one. Hasbro would not allow for cross advertisement of a competitive toy company, thus the red and blue suit was barred.

Jim also doesn't get the credit he deserves for his collaboration in the creation of Venom. Credit often goes only to Todd McFarlane, and David Michelinie. Jim has said many times he isn't interested in monetary notoriety for the character, nor does he diminish that the majority of it was indeed driven by Todd and David. However, he would still like his fair acknowledgement in the credits.

Well, while Marvel holds out, I'll give you your due, Mr. Salicrup, by having you sign my two preview issues of Venom's appearances.

...As well as the issues you were involved with that he made his cameos and first appearance.

Also signed by Bob McLeod
at Baltimore Comic Con

Keeping in procession with getting things signed within the symobite story arc, I brought with me all the issues of Marvel Age which featured advertisements or previews, which Mr. Salicrup was noted as editor.

Also signed by Jim Shooter and
Rick Leonardi at Big Lick NOVA 2023

Also signed by Jim Shooter
at Big Lick NOVA 2023

I also took one of my Todd McFarlane signed copies of Spider-Man issue one to have Jim sign (as editor).

Purchased at Big Lick NOVA 2022,
pre-signed by Todd McFarlane

Since I was apparently going for broke, I also got Mr. Salicrup to sign my run of Kraven's Last Hunt.

Also signed by Jim Shooter at
Big Lick NOVA 2023, and
Bob McLeod at Baltimore Comic Con 2023

I got other stuff signed by Mr. Salicrup, but that's a post coming down the line. Even then, there was so much more I could have brought with me if space allowed for it. For now, that wraps up this one, until next week when I return to Awesome Con 2024.

Jim Salicrup: $10.00 per signature

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

May the 4th Be Cliché!

While walking through my local comic shop enjoying Free Comic Book Day, I saw out of the corner of my eye this really rad poster.

The owner of the shop was standing right next to it, so I asked, "Hey, is that for sale?" He said, "It can be." He then told me a story about how someone gave it to him, and he thought it would look cool on display, but then followed that up with, "But make me an offer." After we both conceded that neither of us really knew much about it, he said, "Give me a five dollar bill, and it's yours." Well, I wasn't going to pass that up.

It was hours later, in fact, just before posting this, that it dawned on me what day of the month it was. So, I jumped out of bed, snapped the above photo, and well, here we are.

The poster, which is massive in size, is still sealed in its original shrink wrap, less the top left of the plastic, which is torn open. However, it's still on its original cardboard backer board, and in pristine condition. I guess my next step is to shop for a frame.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Retro Spins: Prince - Graffiti Bridge

Grafitti Bridge may very well be the first "Parental Advisory" album I got to buy as a kid. I remember vividly the day I got it. We were driving from Oregon to Virginia, in one of our many family relocation periods. Over the course of the one week drive, eight or so hours a day, we eventually stopped at a local retail store, which I believe was a K Mart.

While we all took a well needed stretch of the legs, I wandered into the music section, a beautiful array of shelves with cassette after cassette neatly organized in alphabetical order. It was here that I found Graffiti Bridge. I'd never heard of it, but was a young fan of Prince. I certainly had no clue that it was the soundtrack to a movie, which was technically the sequel to Purple Rain. Still, something about the cassette made me want it. Either mom didn't look at it, or she did and didn't care about the advisory label. I'm guessing the latter was not the case. I think I just lucked out this time by it not being thoroughly inspected before getting approval.

Back in the car, the headphones went on, the cassette went into the Walkman, and it began.

"Dear dad. Things didn't turn out quite like I wanted them to. Sometimes I feel like I'm gonna explode..." From that intro, the music kicked into high gear, and I was whisked away into a mix of heavy rock, funk, soul and ballads.

From that day, Graffiti Bridge became one of my all time favorites from Prince. I went through a phase in my young high school years where this thing got played daily. That cassette had to have been on its last legs by the time I retired it for a CD version.

What I think stands out about the album, from other works from Prince, is the overall collaboration with Morris Day And The Time, the horizon of The New Power Generation, and the introduction and brief career of Tevin Campbell. It's masterfully crafted to not only contain great music, but also a story when listed to from start to finish.

Though Prince has undoubtedly made some great music since Grafitti Bridge, I think overall, for me, it remains his last best achievement in his career. It's a solid album from front to back, and one I really enjoy playing every now and then.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

Retro Spins: Peter Gabriel - So

Beyond his handful of hits in steady rotation throughout the 80's, I knew relatively nothing about Peter Gabriel. I was aware of his origins as the front man for Genesis, but even then, never listened to any of that music either. My era of that group was the Phil Collins fronting. Basically, I guess I'm saying I went into Peter Gabriel's So with no expectations.

I have to admit I was hooked right from the start. The haunting lyrics of Red Rain sucked me in, investing me what I was hearing. In general, So had a vibe of being different from what I was accustomed to hearing from the era, and I liked it a lot.

Even as I type this, I'm only on track four, and I have yet to hear a song which I didn't like. I'm so into it that my next step is going to be to track down other albums from the artist. I had to switch gears and hop over to ebay, where I picked up his 1980 self titled album and his 1982 self titled album (AKA Security). In addition to these, I picked up his two soundtracks, 1985's, Birdy and 1989's Passion (The Last Temptation Of Christ). These, plus So, cover his entire 80's release of studio / soundtrack albums.

On a side note, while look at his discography, I actually got a laugh out of him having four back to back self tiled albums.

This brought me up to track six, which at this point, I still hadn't heard anything I didn't like. That was until track eight, We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37). It wasn't bad, but the overall sound of the album kind of wore thin at this point. So ended on a flat note with This Is The Picture (Excellent Birds). Mind you, this was actually a track only included on the original cassette and CD versions of the album, and not the vinyl pressings.

In retrospect, I don't know that I necessarily "liked" everything on the record. I think what really intrigued me about it was how different it initially sounded. Still, it wasn't bad. I enjoyed hearing it from start to finish.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

Awesome Con 2024 - Part 2: Joe Rubinstein

My running around Awesome Con 2024 continued, as I made my way from table to table, leaving my buddy Dave in line as a place holder to call me when people arrived. I was surprised at how quickly things were going. Unlike Baltimore Comic Con 2023, lines were either non-existent, or efficient, with people moving along (for the most part). I think the biggest pro to this was that the majority of people either hadn't arrived yet, or were back at the "celebrity" booths.

The second table I went to was Joe Rubinstein. He was another creator I met at a prior convention, but for funding constraints at that time, I was unable to get everything signed.

Joe Rubinstein

Mr. Rubinstein was one of the most common reoccurring inkers during the symbiote run of Spider-Man, regardless of the title. While I was able to get a lot of these issues signed at Galaxy Con Richmond 2023, again, funds weren't in my favor. Decisions had to be made, and fortunately, an opportunity arose to revisit his books.

Also signed by Jim Shooter,
and Rick Leonardi
at Big Lick NOVA 2023

Also signed by Jim Shooter
at Big Lick NOVA 2023

While he signed, specifically, the last issue of AMS above, Joe noted that Charles Vess was an artist that seemed to have stopped doing shows. As such, it was quite difficult to get his signature these days. Hearing this, I actually did something out of the ordinary for me. When I got home, I tracked down signed versions of the two issues in the symbiote story he did, and purchased them. I would have preferred to get them signed in person, but hey, sometimes that just isn't an option. The downside to this was that it was after the show, so I'm going to need to get those two issues resigned by the people who already did. Guess I need to track Mr. Rubinstein and Jim Shooter down again...

Signed by Charles Vess

Moving on through my Joe Rubinstein autographs, we jump into Marvel Team-Up, and round it out with Peter Parker The Spectacular Spider-Man Annual, and Web Of Spider-Man.

Also signed by Jim Shooter
at Big Lick NOVA 2023

Overall, my journey to get my symbiote story arc signed is coming along nicely. I'd say I'm about 1/3 of the way there for all the folks who had a hand in them, but truthfully I don't know that it will ever reach the point of 100%. I don't even know if all those folks are alive, let alone if they do conventions, or will in my area. But, it's been fun so far.

Joe Rubinstein: $15.00 per signature

That's where this one wraps up, but part 3 hits next week.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Retro Spins: Michael Jackson - HIStory: Past, Present and Future - Book I

Can Michael Jackson do wrong? No. Thank you, good day.

Oh, right...Retro Spin.

I think if I were to sum up Michael Jackson's career, specifically as a solo artist, it would be that his pre Off The Wall albums were marginally forgettable, Off The Wall itself was okay in hindsight to what would be its follow up, Thriller was Michael at his ultimate height, Bad was the anticipated, "What will he do next / How can he top Thriller?" album and Dangerous was his last successful work. From there, his albums progressively fell further and further away from the public eye. HIStory: Past, Present and Future - Book I, not only serves as the singer's longest titled album, but also the one with his last Billboard hit during his lifetime. I say it that way because he did manage to have further hits with his posthumous album, Xscape.

HIStory serves as part greatest hits, part all new album, with the most noteworthy tracks being the duet Scream, which featured Janet Jackson, and Stranger In Moscow. However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Don't Really Care About Us, which is actually one of my favorites from Jackson. Tabloid Junkie is also a decent song, though it does invoke eye rolling. The reason being is that it's yet another song from Michael whining about how people think he's weird and just won't leave him alone.

For the purposes of this review, I'll touch on the first disc of this album, the greatest hits portion. Yes, it has good tracks, because it is after all a compilation of his best. However, because it is a select collection of fifteen songs, there are some noticeable omissions. I suppose one could argue that you couldn't fit them all on an album, which I suppose could be why it was entitled, "Book I". Perhaps there was a second book which never came to fruition. Who knows.

As for the new material, which encompasses disc two - Well, I've touched on that, for the most part, in a couple paragraphs above. As a whole, it's a decent album, but it's far from his best. Nay, that ship had sailed by this point in Jackson's career. Good tracks? Absolutely. There are some. Unfortunately, the mediocre ones tend to outweigh them. Because of this, they somewhat get lost in the muddled final product.

Look, Michael Jackson, dead or alive, will always remain one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Despite opinions of the quality of his music as his career continued, there's no denying the man could outsell any arena in the world. His good songs weren't just good, they were amazing, and his dancing was rivaled by no other before or since. It's because of this, Michael Jackson will always have a spot in my personal music collection, no matter what the album is. I have them all.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

Retro Spins: Janet Jackson - Control

I assure you all of these Jackson related titles I've been reviewing here lately have been purely coincidental.

I actually listed to Janet's Control several weeks ago, then somehow forgot to right up anything about it. As such, this is going to be one of those "from memory" posts. Hopefully I touch on everything I remember from it.

Control was the first album I heard from the singer, and while I'm aware she had two prior albums, which I have, I've not gotten around to listening to them yet. Based on my limited knowledge of her, my understanding is that this particular album was her break out. Rightly so, it's great.

Of the nine tracks on the album, six charted on the Billboard top one hundred. While all of them went into the top five, only one, When I Think Of You, made it to the number one spot. Still, that's a heck of an achievement.

My playthrough of the album was very enjoyable. I wasn't honestly expecting to like it as much as I did, and even had to take a step back to appreciate the many songs from it I had forgotten over the years. Well, let me rephrase that. It wasn't that I forgot the songs, it was that I forgot they were on this album.

This post is really summed up at this point. I could continue to prattle on about Control, but really, it's one of those iconic albums from the 80's and Janet's career. There's not much more to say about it.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.

Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.

Awesome Con 2024 - Part 1: Art Adams, Klaus Janson, Jeph Loeb, And Art Suydam

Despite it coming to Washington DC year after year, I never seemed to want to go to Awesome Con. Scratch that. I wanted to go. The location was unappealing. I'm a suburbs guy. I hate the city. I'm not in to jam packed grid living, people and cars everywhere, and nothing being convenient. Don't even get me started on the scam and inconvenience that is paid parking.

However, this year, the guest list was far too appealing to pass up. There were things I wanted to get signed, some I missed at Baltimore Comic Con and Big Lick NOVA that needed to be rectified, and others which were simply too much of an opportunity to pass up.

I opted for buying only a Saturday pass at first, one for me, and one for my buddy / line place holder / driver, Dave Braun. However, as the convention drew closer, I added on the Comic Collector Pack, which provided a slew of additional amenities, the most important to me being the thirty minute early access to the exhibit hall, as well as access through the premium entrance to the building. The early access really only serves one purpose, and that is to allow attendees to get in line as quickly as possible for the "celebrities" they were there for.

The two people I kept hearing repeated in line over and over were Hayden Christensen, and Sponge Bob (I don't know the actor's name). This was great news to me, as I was there for comic creators. The more people that headed back to the section where the actors were equated to less people I had to personally deal with.

My goal was to hit the hall at 9:30 AM, and immediately get in line for Art Adams and Klaus Janson, then wait for them to arrive at the convention start time of 10:00 AM. These were the two comic creators from Baltimore where the first I couldn't meet because he left, and the latter because I missed key books in my collection I wanted signed.

There was just one problem. Much like Baltimore, when I got to Mr. Adam's table (and being first), I was told by his assistant, "Oh, he probably won't get here until eleven or twelve." Sigh...I don't understand how these folks can schedule to be at conventions, but then essentially do so liberally. People are paying a lot of money for this experience, in addition to more money for the autographs. Is it really that hard for you to be on time and sit there all day? It's kind of disrespectful.

Klaus Janson's table was literally right next to Adams, so I left my buddy in line to hold my place, with the instructions to call me as soon as either of them showed up, and then went off to see if I could get some autographs elsewhere. Big success, but more on that in another set of posts. When I got the phone call for Mr. Adams, I headed back, and finally got the opportunity to check off my items with him.

Art Adams holding my signed convention book

I regaled him with the tale of Baltimore, and how I stood in his line for two hours at an empty table hoping he would come back to sign my stuff, but never did. He actually apologized, and said he wasn't feeling well that day, and had to go back to his room. When we were done, he even laughed, and said, "I feel like you and I had a moment together. Thank you."

Also signed by Jim Shooter, and
Rick Leonardi at Big Lick Nova 2023

In my ongoing pursuit to get my entire symbiote story arc signed, I needed to get Marvel Team-Up 141 signed. This is the first appearance of the black costume in the Marvel Team-Up title. I got more signed by Mr. Adams, but a bit more on that below.

Art Adams: $15.00 per signature

Klaus Janon still hadn't arrived, so I again left my buddy to stand in line, and took off for more autographs. After about an hour, the call came in, and back to the table I went.

Klaus Janson after signing my AMS 252

When I first went to Baltimore Comic Con, I had a ton of stuff for Mr. Janson to sign. Unfortunately, one of the things that flew completely off of my radar was that he did the cover for The Amazing Spider-Man issue 252. This iconic story featured the first appearance of the black suit in that title. After learning that in hindsight, I never really got over the missed opportunity. As I said above, seeing him (and Art Adams) coming to this convention, pretty much solidified my desire to go.

Also signed by Jim Shooter at
Big Lick Nova 2023

Also signed by Brett Breeding, and
John Romita Jr. at Galaxy Con Richmond,
as well as by Jim Shooter, and
Rick Leonardi at Big Lick Nova 2023

Klaus Janson: $10.00 per signature

In addition to the above comics, I got Mr. Adams and Mr. Janson to autograph my black suit Spider-Man figure.

Also signed by Jim Shooter, and
Rick Leonardi at Big Lick Nova 2023,
and Al Milgrom at Baltimore Comic Con 2023

Art Adams

Klaus Janson

There are still a few signatures I'd like to get on this cardback, and hopefully that opportunity will come soon.

Fast forwarding to the very last table I went to, which was Jeph Loeb. I had packed a few things for him to sign, but these were really just there as a contingency if I really felt the need. Mainly, I just wanted to get my convention book signed by him. However, at the end of the day, I was under budget, and decided to go through with the additional items I brought.

Jeph Loeb doodling on my Spider-Man: Blue issue 1

When he first started signing, Mr. Loeb asked if Tim Sales had signed, because he liked to sign under his name. I said, "No, never met him, but if you want to go get him, I'll wait here." Tim was not at the show, so Jeph just laughed at the notion.

In hindsight, I really regret dropping the ten dollars (extra) for a doodle by Mr. Loeb. Overall, I just felt like there was no value in it.

Jeph Loeb: $20.00 per signature / $10.00 per doodle

Another item I had with me was one I initially missed getting signed at Big Lick NOVA 2023. This one by Art Suydam.

Art Suydam signing my Amazing Heroes 51

When I initially got my Echos of Future Past signed at Big Lick NOVA 2023, I completely missed getting my preview issue of Amazing Heroes 51 signed. This was despite me having it with me, and getting it signed by Michael Golden that same day.

Also signed by Michael Golden at
Big Lick NOVA 2023

Mr. Suydam also gives a signed print with each book, so I grabbed one of Ash from Army of Darkness for my buddy, Dave. I also showed Art my convention book, saying, "I'm sure you don't remember, but you were the first person to sign this for me." He took a moment to look at all the signatures, smiling at it, but he never really said if he remembered or not. I doubt it.

Art Suydam: $20.00, but includes your comic, an art print of your choice, and a COA, all signed by him

Many more books got signed while I was at the show, but for now, that wraps up this post. Check back next week for part 2!

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.